A retired Stockton man was stunned to be told he couldn't apply for pension credit - because he didn't officially exist!

Brian Moore was told by the Pensions Service that the onus was on him to prove he exists, when they could find no record of him.

But the angry pensioner blasted: "I exist enough for the system to take income tax from my occupational pension!"

Mr Moore was so concerned about his "non-existence" he took the matter up with his MP, Dari Taylor.

The service has now pledged to rectify the mistake after Ms Taylor expressed her concern to Stephen Timms, Minister of State for the Department of Work and Pensions.

But Mr Moore, a 68-year-old retired telecom engineer, fears other pensioners could be effected.

"Maybe there are tens of thousands of pensioners out there who are entitled to various monies but have been told they too 'do not exist'," he said. "We could form a non-existent protest group."

Dari Taylor, Stockton South MP, told the pensions minister: "Mr Moore is clearly concerned that inaccurate information is held about him by Government departments and that this may have adverse implications for him."

An investigation revealed the cause of Mr Moore's dilemma was an incorrect date of birth recorded on the Pension Service's computer system.

Alexis Cleveland, chief executive of the Pensions Service, told Ms Taylor he was "sorry to read of Mr Moore's dissatisfaction with the manner in which his application for pension credit was conducted".

He said: "When Mr Moore's records were located, the date of birth we have recorded for him does not match that provided by Mr Moore."

But Mr Moore added: "The Government says that thousands of pensioners are not claiming their pension credit. If they've been through the hassle I have it's no wonder.

"I now have to fill in a form 20 pages long just to get their mistake corrected, and it looks like I'm not even going to get pension credit because of my occupational pension."